Xavier 91, Chicago State 56
Sophomore Deja Ross scored a career-high 22 points on Wednesday night, leading the Xavier women's basketball team to a 91-57 season-opener win over Chicago State. The Musketeers moved to 19-0 in season openers at Cintas Center following the win. The forward was 8-for-11 from the floor and 4-for-7 from behind the arc. Freshman Ayanna Townsend added 15 points on 6-for-6 shooting to go along with a game-high eight rebounds.
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-/RV Villanova 59, Hartford 41
Mary Gedaka led three Wildcats in double figures with a game-high 18 points off 7-of-10 shooting, adding six boards and two assists. Villanova used an 18-8 fourth quarter to pull away from the Hawks in what was the Wildcats’ first game inside the renovated Finneran Pavilion. Hartford got within five, 42-37, with 7:04 remaining before Villanova went on a 13-0 run over the next five minutes. Bridget Herlihy stuffed the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals.
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South Dakota 77, Creighton 65
Despite a 27-point outburst from senior Audrey Faber, Creighton dropped its season-opener 77-65 to South Dakota. After finishing the first quarter trailing by one, the Bluejays were held scoreless for nearly six minutes to open the second quarter as the Coyotes built up a double-digit lead. Creighton got no closer than four the rest of the way, despite 14 points, five rebounds and four assists from Jaylyn Agnew.
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Up Next
Following Providence’s season opener at Penn State on Thursday night (7 p.m. ET), six more contests, including the final three lid lifters, will be played on Friday. Butler tips off its season at noon against Eastern Illinois, while St. John’s makes the quick trip to Iona at 5 p.m. Arguably the game of the night will be RV/RV Green Bay at No. 15/15 DePaul, which will tip in Chicago at 8 p.m. The Blue Demons are the preseason co-favorites with Marquette to win the BIG EAST, while the Phoenix are coming off a 29-4 season which included their ninth NCAA trip in 10 seasons. The Golden Eagles return to the court on Friday, coming off a 39-point win over South Dakota State on Tuesday, while Creighton and Georgetown will also play their second games of the season on Friday night.
Upcoming Schedule
Thursday
Providence at Penn State, 7 p.m. (BTN+)
Friday
Eastern Illinois at Butler, Noon (facebook.com/ButlerBulldogs)
St. John’s at Iona, 5 p.m. (ESPN3)
Creighton at North Dakota State, 6 p.m. (ESPN+)
UMES at Georgetown, 7 p.m. (GUHoyas.com)
RV/RV Green Bay at 15/15 DePaul, 8 p.m. (DePaulBlueDemons.com)
Montana State at 19/19 Marquette, 8 p.m. (GoMarquette.com)
Saturday
Kennesaw State at Seton Hall, Noon (SHUPirates.com)
Sunday
UTSA at Seton Hall, 1:30 p.m. (SHUPirates.com)
Northern Iowa/Delaware at 19/19 Marquette, 5 p.m. (GoMarquette.com)
Tennessee Tech at Xavier, 6 p.m. (GoXavier.com)
All times Eastern